Classes

Course Description

An introduction to recent American fiction through close reading of novels and short fiction since 1970. Some consistent themes will be resistance and revolt, ideas of gender, race and identity, power and marginality, history and memory, and definitions of America. We'll also consider the texts as experiments in language, form, and aesthetic pleasure. Readings may include Doctorow's The Book of Daniel, Kingston's The Woman Warrior, Alexie's Reservation Blues, stories by Donald Barthelme and Alice Munro, Morrison's Beloved, and Viramontes' Their Dogs Came with Them.